Mobile gaming system

ABSTRACT

A system is disclosed. The system, which is for use with a portable wireless communicator/biometric reader and a portable wireless transceiver, comprises one or more enabling receivers and a facility. The enabling receivers are for receiving wireless signals from the reader. The facility is for communicating with the transceiver to permit the transceiver to serve as a mobile platform for computer gaming when (i) said reader is in communication with at least one of said one or more enabling receivers and (ii) a user, to which said reader is assigned, is operating said reader in accordance with a protocol.

REFERENCE TO A PRIOR APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/049,551, filed May 1, 2008.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of gaming.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The deployment of portable, hand-held, electronic gaming devices is ofinterest to casinos and other establishments such as airports, skiresorts and cruise ships. Authorities such as the Nevada GamingCommission have created rules governing such devices, to, inter alia,protect the public interest in responsible gaming. A component of, forexample, the Nevada rules, is a form of biometric reader, such as afingerprint reader (i.e. thumb scanner) which must be activated by usersfrom time to time. This has lead toward the development of all-in-oneportable wireless devices which incorporate gaming software and hardwareand a biometric reader.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system for use with a portable wireless communicator/biometric readerand a portable wireless transceiver forms one aspect of the invention.The system comprises one or more enabling receivers and a facility. Theone or more enabling receivers are for receiving wireless signals fromsaid reader. The facility is for communicating with said transceiver topermit said transceiver to serve as a mobile platform for computergaming when (i) said reader is in communication with at least one ofsaid one or more enabling receivers and (ii) a user, to which saidreader is assigned, is operating said reader in accordance with aprotocol.

According to another aspect of the invention, the portable wirelesscommunicator/biometric reader can be a portable wirelesscommunicator/fingerprint reader.

According to another aspect of the invention, the portable wirelesstransceiver can be a wireless phone.

According to another aspect of the invention, in use: (i) the user canbe prompted at random intervals through the transceiver; and (ii) theprotocol can demand that the reader be actuated by the user to which itis assigned within a predetermined period following each prompt.

According to another aspect of the invention, the wireless phone can beBluetooth-enabled, the system can further comprise one or more Bluetoothreceivers for wireless communication with said transceiver and thefacility can permit said transceiver to service as said mobile platformfor computer gaming when said transceiver is communicating viaBluetooth, in accordance with a predetermined parameter, with at leastone of said one or more Bluetooth receivers.

According to another aspect of the invention, the one or more enablingreceivers can comprise a plurality of enabling receivers, spaced-apartfrom one another, to define one or more areas within said casino withinwhich gaming can be conducted.

According to another aspect of the invention, the one or more Bluetoothreceivers can comprise a plurality of Bluetooth receivers, spaced-apartfrom one another to provide Bluetooth coverage throughout said one ormore areas within which gaming can be conducted.

According to another aspect of the invention, the facility can beadapted such that gaming functionality of the transceiver is disabledfollowing the issuance of a prompt, and is automatically enabled if theenabling receiving apparatus detects a response from the reader within apredetermined period following the prompt.

According to another aspect of the invention, the predeterminedparameter can require communication between the one or more Bluetoothreceivers and the transceiver at a defined interval.

According to another aspect of the invention, the facility can comprisea computer server.

The system permits a conventional Internet-ready cellphone or similardevice to be utilized as a mobile platform for responsible gaming.

Other advantages, features and characteristics of the present invention,as well as methods of operation and functions of the related elements ofthe structure, and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description and the appended claims with reference tothe accompanying drawings, the latter being briefly describedhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a system according to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With general reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, a system, designated with general reference numeral 20, isshown schematically in use in a casino 22 (shown in schematic view andto occupy a city block) and will be seen to include a facility 24, aplurality of enabling receivers 26, a first plurality of Bluetoothreceivers 28 and a second plurality of Bluetooth receivers 30.

The enabling receivers 26 collectively defines a green zone 32 in thecasino, shown in dotted outline, within which mobile gaming can beconducted. The first plurality of Bluetooth receivers 28 collectivelyprovide Bluetooth coverage throughout the green zone 32. The secondplurality of Bluetooth receivers 30 collectively provide Bluetoothcoverage throughout a red zone 34 (shown as three separate red zones 34,each indicated in dotted outline and associated respectively with a daycare 52, a nursing station 50 and a security office 54) within thecasino 22 in which mobile gaming cannot be conducted.

The facility 24 comprises an in-house casino server 36 which is part ofa local network including the enabling receivers 26 and the first 28 andsecond 30 Bluetooth receivers. The facility also includes a backendserver 38 securely connected to the in-house casino server 36.

The backend server 38 hosts a publicly accessible website wherefromusers of Bluetooth-enabled portable wireless transceivers 40 candownload gaming software applicable to said casino 22, and with whichusers which have installed said software can interactively game.

For simplicity in this description, portable wireless transceivers arehereinafter simply referred to as “phones”, but it should be understoodthat references to a phone or phones herein expressly includes otherdevices such as Personal Digital Assistants and email readers of thetype sold by Research in Motion Inc. under the trademark Blackberry®.

The software, once installed, permits the phone to serve, from anywherewhich has connectivity, as a mobile platform for computer gaming, on adummy funds account.

Any visitor to the casino 22 who wishes to gamble against the casinousing his or her phone may do so through a registration process whereina phone upon which the software has been installed is presented to amember of casino staff, along with identification and proof of age. Thecasino staff sets up a gaming account, to which the phone 40 is assigned(having been identified via Bluetooth technology).

As a further part of the registration process, use of a portablewireless communicator/biometric reader 42, specifically, a fingerprintreader (thumb scanner), is also given (and assigned) to the visitor, whoactuates the reader to scan the user biometrically; the biometric scanis stored on the wireless device 42. The reader 42 is of a type adaptedfor communicating with the enabling receivers 26.

Once registration has been completed, a casino gambling account iscreated, into which funds can be loaded via Internet banking or throughmechanisms available within the casino, such as cashiers or the like.

When a registered user wishes to gamble, he or she may activate the gamesoftware and access the gambling account via password.

When the gambling account is open: (i) the server 36 will send messagesto phone 40 to prompt the user at random intervals; (ii) the enablingreceivers 26 will scan the green zone 34 for a response from the reader42 following the prompt; (iii) the first Bluetooth receivers 28 willscan the green zone 22 for the phone 40 at predefined intervals; and(iv) the second Bluetooth receivers 30 will scan the red zone(s) 34 forthe phone 40 at predefined intervals.

Following the issuance of a prompt, the gaming account will beautomatically locked and will be automatically unlocked if theregistered user responds to the prompt according to a defined protocol,i.e. the user actuates the reader 42 while within the green zone 32 suchthat at least one of the enabling receivers 26 receives a response fromthe reader 42 within a predetermined period set by the casino, forexample, 30 seconds.

The gaming account will also be locked if: (i) none of the firstBluetooth receivers 28 detect the presence of the phone 40 during itsscan; or (ii) at least one of the second Bluetooth receivers 30 detectsthe presence of the phone 40 during its scan.

It will be evident that this arrangement promotes responsible gaming;although it is possible that gaming may be conducted via the phone by aperson other than the user which registered the phone and to which thereader is assigned, the need for timely response following each promptnecessitates at least close proximity of the phone and reader, i.e. defacto supervision of the phone by the operator of the reader.

[Whereas Bluetooth receivers are specified above, since this aspect ofthe exemplary embodiment relies on the system receiving information fromthe phone, persons of ordinary skill will recognize that Bluetoothtransceivers will normally be deployed, permitting two-way securecommunication between the phone 40 and the system. This description andthe accompanying claims should be construed accordingly.]

It will be evident to persons of ordinary skill in the art that thesystem has numerous attractive features. Firstly, it permits each userto become familiar with the gaming system, on his or her own phone,outside a casino environment, and even at home, in contradistinction tothe situation that would exist if casinos were to require the user togamble remotely using a dedicated system that first-time visitors to thecasino might never have previously encountered. As well, it entailsrelatively low hardware costs to the casino, since each user brings hisor her own gaming device (phone). Further, since all identifyinginformation remains resident with the server (the only informationtransmitted between the wireless reader and the enabling receiverapparatus is an arbitrary numeric ID assigned to the user during theregistration process), the system can be constructed to be highlysecure. (There will be no connection, external of the server, betweenthe fingerprint and actual identity of the user.)

While but a single exemplary embodiment of the present invention hasbeen herein shown and described, it will be understood that variouschanges may be made. For example, the second Bluetoothreceivers/transceivers could be omitted, if the physical layout of thegaming area did not necessitate the creation of a red zone, and wherelegislation does not demand it, the Bluetooth receivers/transceiverscould be omitted altogether.

As well, a mechanism somewhat similar to the functionality provided bythe Bluetooth receivers/transceivers could be created through the use ofa disabling receiver array, which locked the account if the readerexited the green zone.

Further, whereas gambling is expressly indicated herein and is ofinterest to casino and the like, the system could be useful for othergaming or general entertainment applications where restricted,supervised or controlled access is of interest, for example,pay-per-view entertainment or pay-to-play games.

Additionally, whereas a thumb scanner is described, other devices couldbe employed as available, for example, a retina scanner.

Accordingly, the invention should be understood as limited only by theclaims appended hereto, purposively construed.

1. A system for use with a portable wireless communicator/biometricreader and a portable wireless transceiver, the system comprising: oneor more enabling receivers for receiving wireless signals from saidreader; and a facility for communicating with said transceiver to permitsaid transceiver to serve as a mobile platform for computer gaming when(i) said reader is in communication with at least one of said one ormore enabling receivers and (ii) a user, to which said reader isassigned, is operating said reader in accordance with a protocol.
 2. Asystem for use with a portable wireless communicator/fingerprint readerand a transceiver defined by a wireless phone, the system comprising:one or more enabling receivers for receiving wireless signals from saidreader; and a facility for communicating with said transceiver to permitsaid transceiver to serve as a mobile platform for computer gaming when(i) said reader is in communication with at least one of said one ormore enabling receivers and (ii) a user, to which said reader isassigned, is operating said reader in accordance with a protocol.
 3. Asystem according to claim 1, wherein, in use: (i) the user is promptedat random intervals through the transceiver; and (ii) the protocoldemands that the reader be actuated by the user to which it is assignedwithin a predetermined period following each prompt.
 4. A system for usewith a portable wireless communicator/fingerprint reader and atransceiver defined by a Bluetooth-enabled wireless phone, the systemcomprising: one or more enabling receivers for receiving wirelesssignals from said reader; and a facility for communicating with saidtransceiver to permit said transceiver to serve as a mobile platform forcomputer gaming when (i) said reader is in communication with at leastone of said one or more enabling receivers and (ii) a user, to whichsaid reader is assigned, is operating said reader in accordance with aprotocol.
 5. A system according to claim 4, further comprising thesystem further comprises one or more Bluetooth receivers for wirelesscommunication with said transceiver; and the facility permits saidtransceiver to service as said mobile platform for computer gaming whensaid transceiver is communicating via Bluetooth, in accordance with apredetermined parameter, with at least one of said one or more Bluetoothreceivers.
 6. A system according to claim 1, for use in a casino,wherein said one or more enabling receivers is a plurality of enablingreceivers, spaced-apart from one another, to define one or more areaswithin said casino within which gaming can be conducted.
 7. A systemaccording to claim 5, for use by a casino, wherein (i) said one or moreenabling receivers comprises a plurality of enabling receivers,spaced-apart from one another, to define one or more areas within saidcasino within which gaming can be conducted; and (ii) said one or moreBluetooth receivers comprises a plurality of Bluetooth receivers,spaced-apart from one another to provide Bluetooth coverage throughoutsaid one or more areas within which gaming can be conducted.
 8. A systemaccording to claim 3, wherein the facility is adapted such that gamingfunctionality of the transceiver is disabled following the issuance of aprompt, and is automatically enabled if at least one of the enablingreceivers detects a response from the reader within a predeterminedperiod following the prompt.
 9. A system according to claim 5, whereinthe predetermined parameter requires communication between the Bluetoothreceiver and the transceiver at a defined interval.
 10. A systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the facility comprises a computer server.11. A system according to claim 2, wherein, in use: (i) the user isprompted at random intervals through the transceiver; and (ii) theprotocol demands that the reader be actuated by the user to which it isassigned within a predetermined period following each prompt.
 12. Asystem according to claim 2, for use in a casino, wherein said one ormore enabling receivers is a plurality of enabling receivers,spaced-apart from one another, to define one or more areas within saidcasino within which gaming can be conducted.
 13. A system according toclaim 7, wherein the predetermined parameter requires communicationbetween the Bluetooth receiver and the transceiver at a definedinterval.
 14. A system according to claim 8, wherein the predeterminedparameter requires communication between the Bluetooth receiver and thetransceiver at a defined interval.
 15. A system according to claim 2,wherein the facility comprises a computer server.
 16. A system accordingto claim 4 for use in a casino, wherein said one or more enablingreceivers is a plurality of enabling receivers, spaced-apart from oneanother, to define one or more areas within said casino within whichgaming can be conducted.
 17. A system according to claim 4, wherein thefacility comprises a computer server.
 18. A system according to claim 9,wherein the facility comprises a computer server.